


One Chance

by im_just_a_sucker_for_bromance



Category: CNCO (Band)
Genre: Adult Content, Alternate Universe, Boys Kissing, Bullying, Depiction of Violence, Dominance, Drama, Fights, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Out of Character, Rehabilitation, Violence, Work In Progress, agressive character, mention of drugs, volunteering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:08:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21768118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_just_a_sucker_for_bromance/pseuds/im_just_a_sucker_for_bromance
Summary: Volunteering at Daysi’s institute was something that Richard and Joel usually did but little did they know that the horrors from their pasts would come, haunt and disrupt their peaceful lives. As they embark on a journey to stand up for themselves, neither of them knew what kind of challenges each day would bring; would they surpass them or would they let their past take over.
Relationships: Richard Camacho/Christopher Vélez, Zabdiel De Jesús/Joel Pimentel
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	1. Nothing Like We Expected

Richard took a deep breath and, grabbing the clipboard from the desk, he made his way to Joel. Like the past two years, the two of them had again volunteered at the institute that was owned by one of their college professor; it was an institute that aimed in helping those who had gone astray to get back on their feet and maybe, live a better life. It was a tough task at times but seeing a change in some at the end was always heartwarming and honestly, it brought satisfaction. He was brought back to reality when Joel playfully slapped him on the back and Richard laughed at something Joel had said before shaking his head. They had met at college and had instantly become friends after realizing they had much in common. Since then, they had been doing everything together, including volunteering and helping people.

“Hey, you guys ready?” Erick asked when they joined him. Erick was the son of the founder of the institute and as he grew up, he wanted to help his mom. And that was how he had met Joel and Richard and the three of them became good friends.

“Hey bro,” Richard grinned as they high-fived. “Yeah, we’re good to go and meet some new people.”

“You have the list of names?” Joel asked after greeting Erick.

“Huh…” Erick made a face he scratched his head.

“Don’t worry, I have it.” Richard answered as he shook the clipboard that he had in hand.

“What time do they get here?” Joel checked his watch for the fourth time and asked. “If I’m correct shouldn’t they have been here already?”

Richard looked at the papers. “Yep, it says 10:30 and it’s already 11:00.”

“They’re here,” Erick stated when the front of the bus made it through the gate. “Ready?”

The three of them eyed the bus as it stopped and one by one the people got down; most of them were irritated, probably from being reluctantly being there, while some of them looked like they just did not care. As Joel and Richard checked the list to mark the presence, Erick ushered them into the dining hall.

“Name?” Richard asked without looking up from the paper.

“It’s right there, at the bottom of the page,” a nonchalant voice answered.

“You’ll still have to tell me what it is.”

The person scoffed. “Vélez Christopher,” he said as he hit the board and tossed it to the ground.

Richard’s head shot up at that and he gulped; he could not believe what he had just heard. “Please no,” he mumbled to himself when the guy walked away but then, much to Richard’s dismay, the guy took backward steps until he was face to face with him again.

“Mop-head? Is that you?”

Richard ignored him and picked up his board. “Next?”

“I think we’re done,” Joel stated when he realized Chris was the last one. “And what was that about?”

“No, we’re missing somebody. Let me check the bus.”

“Ok.”

Climbing the steps, Richard peeked inside and like he had guessed, there was someone, who was lounging at the back. “Hey, we’re here already. Don’t you wanna get down?”

“Spare me!”

“Come on, I’m sure you’ll like it. It’s not so bad.”

“Really?” he laughed sarcastically. “This is a shithole in the middle of nowhere. And what is this?” he punched the window. “Barricaded windows? What are we? Prisoners? While you were at it, you could have blind-folded and chained us.”

“Look, I know the trip was not very pleasant but it was for your own good.”

“Yeah, why don’t you fuck off?”

“Come on, I promise you’ll like it.”

“Richard? What’s the matter?”

He turned on the side to look at Joel. “There’s someone who’s mad and doesn’t want to get down.”

“Want me to try?”

“Ok,” Richard shrugged as he stepped aside.

“Hello? You sure you want to stay in here?” Joel said to the guy, who had his hat on his face. “It’s much nicer and more comfortable inside. Come on.”

“I said I…” the tall rude guy got up from his seat and was about to say a series of cursive words but was left agape when his eyes landed on Joel. A smile instantly appeared on his face and Joel knew what it meant: _trouble_.

“Make sure he gets off the bus or we’ll have to call security,” Joel simply said and walked away, leaving Richard confused.

“Ok buddy, time to go,” Richard smiled at the boy who rolled his eyes.

“I’m not your buddy, ok? Now stop nagging me, I’m coming down. Why don’t you go mind someone else’s business and leave me the fuck alone?”

**Twenty minutes later**

“Tough start?” Erick asked when both Richard and Joel dropped themselves onto the couch and sighed.

“Don’t ask,” Richard shook his head.

Joel turned to him and poked him in the ribs. “Mop-head? What was that about?”

“Don’t ask,” he repeated.

“C’mon… do you know that guy?” Joel urged as he kept poking him. “What’s his deal?”

Erick handed a file to Joel, who raised an eyebrow but took it anyway. “Everything you want to know about him. His name’s Christopher.”

Richard groaned at the mere mention of that name and Joel again turned to him. “Seriously, now I want to know everything.”

“He used to stay close to where I live and… umm… I never thought I would ever have to meet him again.”

“Why? Were you two close?”

Richard let out a laugh at that. “Far from it. Actually, he and his brother used to bully me, like almost every day and to top it all, I had to pass his street to go home. But it was mostly him, pushing me around and calling me names. It got worse with time and I had to make my mom get me from school because I was so scared of him.”

“You? You were bullied?” Erick laughed, not believing a word.

“What? Is it so hard to believe?”

“Yeah, you’re such a big guy and you look so tough.”

“That was not always the case. Seeing him just brought back memories that I never wanted to remember again.”

“But why mop-head? I still don’t get it,” Joel frowned.

“There was a time when I was a kid and had long curly hair and… yeah, you get the picture?”

“Totally.”

“What about you? Why’d you run away earlier? You said you’d get the guy out of the bus but the moment he got to his feet, you left.”

“Oh, you don’t wanna know my story.”

“Story? You’ve got a story with that guy? Now I’m intrigued. He seems like…”

“An asshole?” Joel completed. “Yeah, he’s my ex.”

“What?” both Richard and Erick exclaimed.

“I was fifteen and I was stupid. I was madly, deeply, in love with him, or so I thought. Don’t look at me like that, like I said I was dumb. My mom didn’t approve of it and she kept telling me to stay away from him but I didn’t listen. I ran away… but you know, Zabdiel was not who I thought he was; he was possessive, aggressive and pretty soon I realized my mom was right when he started hitting me and stuffs and I knew was only being a fool. I went back home but Zabdiel, he kept harassing me because he wanted me. When I didn’t meet him or talk to him, he started troubling my family. And in the end, we had to move and I decided to put it all behind, until today.”

“Wow,” Erick sighed, “you two have really dark pasts.”

“Why is he here for?” Richard questioned.

“Hold on, here’s his file,” Erick said and opened it. “Let’s see. Zabdiel De Jesús. Age 22. Has the tendency to show aggressive behaviors, likes to get the last word, verbally abusive, was jailed once for assaulting a man in a bar…”

“What about Mr. Bully?” Joel interrupted him and turned to Richard.

Richard took the file that Joel had previously set on the table and opened it. “Christopher Vélez. Age 24. Drug abuse, ran away from multiple rehab centers, over-dosed twice, and the list is endless,” Richard said as he closed the file.

“You three are here. I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Everyone has been asked to gather in the dining hall so that we can distribute the tasks.,” Daysi uttered.

“Yes ma’am,” Joel said and shook his head, “I mean, Daysi,” he corrected as he recalled that she insisted they called her by her name while working there.

“You want to handle this one?” she asked as she looked at the file in Richard’s hand. “Okay, if you want but I have to warn you, he’s a tough one.”

Richard looked at the file in his hand and then at the empty doorway, considering Daysi was gone. “Remind me again why I’m here when I could have been home and celebrating Christmas with my family.”

“For a good cause.”

“Right, for a good cause. These two months are gonna be long, so so long.”

“Hey,” Joel threw an arm around his shoulder and smiled. “You’re not alone, we’re in this together.”

“Exactly, we’re in this together,” Erick also smiled as he threw his arm on Richard’s other shoulder. “And if he’s being mean, we can always complain to my mom or even better, call security and get him thrashed.”

“We don’t do that here.”

“I’m just kidding,” he snickered. “Look at your faces. I was just trying to lighten the mood, that’s all but you two clearly have got no sense of humor. Let’s go, everyone’s waiting for us for the briefing.”

Richard followed Erick and again looked at the file that he still had in his possession. Daysi and a couple of other people were talking, explaining the details of the routine but Richard was too preoccupied to even hear what they were saying. Christopher, his horrible past, was back in front of him and he was not sure if he was ready for it. He did not even have time to mentally prepare himself for it but then again when he and Joel had decided to volunteer, they had no idea what was lying ahead of them or who they would meet. Should he tell Daysi that he did not want to handle that case? What would he tell her? He may have told Joel and Erick but he did not want everyone to know about that part of his life; it was not that he was ashamed of it, he just did not want a big deal to be made out of it. Sighing, he turned to looked at Joel, who was playing with his ring, and wondered what was going on in his mind. Was he thinking about Zabdiel? Probably. He thought back to what Joel had said about him a few minutes earlier and sighed; was Zabdiel still the same guy that Joel had told them about?

The answer was undoubtedly yes, judging from the way he spoke earlier and even his file confirmed it. Was Zabdiel going to harass Joel again? He hoped not. Then, his mind went back to Christopher; maybe he had changed and would not bully him anymore. After all, so many years had passed and people do change with time. However, he recalled how Christopher had called him the moment he had seen him: _Mop-head_.

“Hey,” Joel nudged him. “What’s wrong? Why do you keep frowning?”

“I’m just worried.”

“About Christopher?”

“No, about Zabdiel. What if he abuses you again?”

Joel let out a little laugh. “I’m no longer 15 and I can stand up for myself.”

“So, you’re not scared of him?”

“No, not one bit.”

“I don’t know who you’re trying to fool but you don’t sound very convincing.”

“Shh,” Joel simply placed his index on his lips and motioned towards Daysi.

Rolling his eyes, Richard turned his attention to her as she mentioned that they had four very difficult cases that needed particular attention, one of which he was handling and one that Joel was requested to keep close eyes on because like she said _‘you usually volunteer and are practically pros. I trust you’d do well’_. Normally, he would say he could handle any kind of situation but he was not very sure if he could handle Christopher.

“Are you gonna keep staring at this file?” Erick elbowed him.

“I’m not staring; I’m listening to your mom.”

“Well, she’s done talking and it’s been a couple of minutes already.”

“Yeah, I know. I was just… going over what she said… in my mind, you know? Just to make sure…”

“Yeah, and you’re a bad liar. Come on, let’s go unpack.”

“You guys go ahead,” Joel stated. “I need to use the bathroom.”

“Ok, see you.”

Joel nodded but instead of getting up and making his way to the bathroom, he only sat there and bit on his lip. For the first time, he regretted volunteering and since there was nothing he could do about it anymore, he only wished those two months would go by quick. Zabdiel? Who would have thought that after so many years they would meet again and that too, under such circumstances? He had told Richard he could stand up for himself but could he really? Zabdiel still intimidated him and looking at him only brought back the horrific images of his past, which only caused him to shiver and brain would stop working. To make matters worse, it scared him to know that Zabdiel was still the aggressive person that he once used to know. Shaking his head, Joel finally got up and exited the room. He was about enter the bathroom when a strong pair of arms pressed him against the wall. He looked up only to realize he was face to face with Zabdiel.


	2. Some Things Never Change

Joel was about enter the bathroom when a strong pair of arms had pressed him against the wall. He looked up only to realize he was face to face with Zabdiel. Gulping, he stared into those deep brown eyes that looked right back into his; he stood there, frozen on the spot, as memories started flooding his mind. That was exactly how Zabdiel used to look at him and it was those kind of looks that would sweep him off his feet. Joel still clearly remembered how Zabdiel used to look at him, used to kiss him, used to touch him and used to make his insides go crazy. Then things took a different turn, a turn that made Joel realize that he deserved better. That brought him to reality and he turned his head to the side and looked at the floor. Having none of that, Zabdiel smiled, placed his fingers under Joel’s chin and made him look at him again. He caressed Joel’s cheek with the back of his fingers and stepped closer. He was so close that Joel could feel his warm breath on his skin and, taking a deep breath, he placed a hand to Zabdiel’s chest.

“Stop,” he mumbled.

However, Zabdiel only kept going. “I’ve missed you. Did you miss me?”

“No, my life’s been pretty peaceful and I hope it stays so. Stay away from me.” Joel somehow mustered the courage and pushed Zabdiel away from him. “I’ve moved on, you should too.”

Zabdiel raised an eyebrow at that. “All these years I have not moved on. You’re here now, I’m here, why would I want to move on? You left without saying anything and fuck, I was going crazy.”

“You were already crazy. That’s why I had to go away. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have better things to do.”

Running a hand through his messy curls, Joel exhaled and walked away. He had somehow managed the situation but he was not sure how much longer he would be able to stand his ground because he could guess Zabdiel would definitely try things again; he had known him long enough to know that he did not give up easily. He let out an inward exasperated groan and opened the door to the room that he shared with Richard before walking to the empty bed and dropping himself face down onto the mattress. Richard instantly looked up from his bag that was on his bed, looked at Erick with questioning eyes and then back at Joel. As far as he knew Joel, that behavior only meant something was wrong or something was bothering him. Picking up a tee from his bag, he threw it at Joel.

“What’s wrong pumpkin?”

Joel sighed. “Nothing.”

“It can’t be nothing if you’re acting like this. I know you enough to know.”

“Agreed,” Erick added. “Something is definitely fishy.”

“Nothing is wrong and I’m absolutely fine,” Joel said as he rolled onto his side and looked at Richard and Erick.

“It’s something to do with Daniel, isn’t it?” Richard raised an eyebrow.

“His name is Zabdiel and no, it has nothing to do with him. Why would you think that? He’s the least of my worries,” he said confidently, or so he tried.

Erick looked at Richard, who looked back at him; the way and the tone on which Joel had said that clearly gave it away. “Are you still scared of him?” Erick asked.

Joel laughed. “What? Are you mad?”

“Erick is right. Why else would you be acting like this?”

“Wait, wait wait! Guys, I don’t know if you’ve heard me before but I’m saying it again. I can defend myself. I’m not scared of him… it’s just that his face irritates me and I’m going to have to endure that for two months. That’s what’s frustrating. Why am I here?”

“For a good cause,” Richard mimicked.

“Yeah right, go ahead have a laugh. I’d be laughing too when Christopher kicks your ass.”

Richard’s expression instantly changed. “No you wouldn’t, you’re too nice to do that. I’m pretty sure you’d be fighting him back instead of laughing. Besides, I’m not gonna give him an opportunity to kick my ass.”

“I don’t know about Joel but I’ll definitely protect you, both of you actually. I know you’re both looking at me funny because I’m not as big or muscular as you guys but I have something better. I have authority.”

“He’s right,” Joel nodded and looked at Richard. “I’m without doubt keeping him by my side.”

“Nah, I’m taking him,” Richard laughed and pulled Erick by his side.

“Guys, stop,” Erick whined when they each grabbed one of his arms and tried to pull him to them. “I’m here for you both, stop bickering. You’re being childish.”

**Later that night**

Richard rolled onto his back and sighed; it was past eleven and he knew he should be sleeping already, just like Joel, who was lightly snoring on the other bed, but he simply could not. Whether his eyes were close or not, he could only think of one person, Christopher, and what had happened at dinner. He was sitting with Joel, Erick and some other staff members, talking and laughing, when he had felt someone’s eyes on him. Looking in that direction, he realized it was none other than Christopher, who was grinning and wriggling his eyebrows at him. What had that meant? Richard still did not know and it somehow bothered him. Was he up to something? Richard did not know that either. Rolling to his other side, he tried to think of something else, something nicer, that would lull him to sleep but his attempt was not very successful. Finally, he got up and decided that some fresh air would do him some good. With that thought in mind, he got down the stairs, down the dark empty hallway and exited the dorm. Two seconds in the open, the chilly air met with his skin and Richard realized he should have worn a hoodie before stepping outside but it was too late to change that.

Hence, shoving his fists in the pockets of his sweatpants, he walked in the direction of the basketball court but before he could pick up the ball, he heard some rustling. Richard looked around to try and find the source of the disturbance and frowned when he caught sight of a silhouette near the fence. He was about to call out to the person when he heard a series of curse words and he stopped right where he was. It was Christopher and he instantly cursed his luck. Out of everyone who could have wanted to go for a midnight walk, it had to be him? And out of all people, it had to be Christopher? Why? What was he doing out there at this time anyway?

“Hey!” he called out. “What are you up to?”

Christopher turned around and scoffed. “What does it look like, Mop-Head?”

Richard ignored the nickname, as always. “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”

“So what are you now, following me?”

“I only came to get some air and I saw you. You should get back to bed.” It was only when Christopher ignored him that Richard’s eyes caught sight of the bag by his foot. So, that was what all that was about, since dinner? Christopher had planned on running away. “Trying to run away? It’s no use you know? This place is heavily guarded.”

“I’m sure I can get through the alarm and cctv unnoticed.”

“I wouldn’t count on it. Many have tried before and failed.”

“Yeah but you see Mop-Head, I’m not many.”

“Right and my name’s Richard, not Mop-head.”

“Whatever. I’m going away and there’s no need for me to know your name.”

“Where do you intend to go? We’re in the middle of nowhere,” Richard pointed to the emptiness around them.

“I heard a train on the way here… I’m sure it leads to somewhere.”

“Well good luck. I hope you don’t need help finding your way back to your room.”

Frowning, Christopher stepped closer to Richard. “Are you trying to sass me?”

“Let’s make a deal.”

“With you?” Chris laughed.

“Not really a deal, more like a challenge. A hoop challenge,” he motioned towards the basketball court. “The one who scores the most, win, logically.”

“Hoop challenge? The old-fashioned way?” Chris grinned; he recalled he used to do that to Richard when they were kids and every time Richard would miss a shot, he would beat him up. “It’s on,” he said and threw the ball at Richard.

However, Richard caught it before it could hit him in the chest and passed it back to Christopher. “If I win, you get your ass inside and you won’t try to run away again. If you win, I’ll pretend I never saw you out here and stay out of your way.”

“And you help me get out of here. I’m sure you can do that.”

“Deal,” Richard agreed even though it could get him in trouble for doing so. “You go first.”

They agreed on taking turns of three shots, where scoring the maximum of them would earn them a point. Richard stepped aside and allowed Chris to start; he scored his first two shots out of the three and therefore won the first point, leading him to smile smugly at Richard while passing him the ball. It did not end there though. As his succession of bad luck continued, Richard failed to score any point during his first turn, which inevitably caused Christopher to laugh at him but he stayed confident; after getting beaten up for being bad at basketball as a kid, he had taken it up to him to train and make himself better at it so that no one would be able to take advantage of him again. The turns went on quickly and ten minutes later, the tables had turned and Richard was leading with four points whereas Christopher still had his single point. That fact alone was enough to push Chris over the edge and he was more resolved than before to win, even if it meant he would have to cheat to make Richard lose or simply give up.

Picking up another ball, he threw it at Richard from behind just when the latter was going to take a shot, causing him to miss his target.

“Why would you do that?” he questioned.

“Because I feel like it. Are you done? I don’t have all night.”

“If you stop distracting me maybe we’ll be done faster. Besides, your bed is not running away.”

“What the fuck is your problem with my bed? I’m heading for the train. I’m not gonna go back in that prison.”

Richard laughed. “This is not a prison; we’re just trying to help you here.”

“Helping me would be to let me out of here.”

“For that, you gotta win, remember?”

Christopher rolled his eyes, seized the ball and pushed Richard aside while doing so. The game went on and despite his attempts to mess up Richard’s concentration, he ended up losing because his skills were not as great as they used to be and neither was his ability to aim at the target. Cursing, he kicked the ball with his foot, causing Richard to flinch as it hit against the fence. Suddenly, he remembered how Chris had once pushed him against a fence and punched him in the gut. It was horrible because he was weak and could barely defend himself. He ended up with severe pain that he could barely endure, pain that had lasted for days. The worst part of it was where he could not explain to his mom why he was in that condition because he was scared of what Christopher might do if he had ever gotten to know that Richard had complain about him. Richard shook his head and casted those pungent memories away from his mind as he inhaled deeply; he should not be thinking about the past, he reminded himself.

Richard smiled. “I guess inside is where you’re going eventually,” he said as he pointed to the door.

“Fuck!”

“After you.”

“Get my bag. It’s not going to walk itself inside.”

Richard was going to answer back but he opted otherwise, considering that the one standing a few feet away from him was Christopher, the biggest bully he had ever known. Quietly, he picked the bag and walked back to Chris, where he dropped it to the floor again. Groaning in frustration, Chris turned on his heel without saying anything else and headed in the direction of the dorm but only tripped over his opened shoelace after a couple of steps. However, Richard’s reflexes were quicker and before he could fall, Richard had grabbed him by the arm and had steadied him. In that swift action, Chris only ended up crashing against Richard’s chest, leaving them to end up face to face, with their chests pressed together. The two of them stared back in the other’s eyes for long seconds; in the quietness of the night and the not so bright light coming from a nearby lamppost, it seemed like they were frozen in that position for long minutes, although only a few seconds had passed. His throat and mouth felt dry and Richard swallowed before licking his lips to moisten them as well. Instinctively, Chris’ eyes darted there and slowly, he also licked his own lips, without really wanting to do so.

“What the hell?” Chris pressed both his hands against Richard’s chest and pushed him away when he realized what was happening. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

 _‘Sorry, my bad. Next time I’ll just let you fall and break your face,’_ Richard was tempted to say but instead, he said, or rather mumbled, “Sorry, I just…”

“You what, huh?”

“Nothing… let’s get you and your bag inside, ok?”

“Whatever, Mop-head.”

Richard quietly followed Christopher inside nonetheless he could not help but wonder what had just happened. Chris had been so close to him and this time, he was not bullying him, it was something else, something intense that he could not explain. As he thought about the way they had stood, he felt a shiver run down his spine and he could not tell if it was a good or bad thing yet. Or maybe it was nothing and it was all in his head because why would that happen? It was not like Christopher had any interest in getting cozy with him and neither did he want that. Richard sighed; why was everything related to Christopher so exasperating?

“What?” Chris asked when he heard a mumble from Richard.

“I was just… I said your bag.”

“Leave it on the bed and get out.”

Richard did as he was told and exited the room before poking his head back in. “Wake-up call is at 7:00 and breakfast at 7:30. Don’t be late.”

“Get out!” Christopher repeated louder.


	3. Same Old Games

Zabdiel raised an eyebrow as he walked towards the table that was in the corner, the same table that he had been sitting at, for every meal, since he had been there. The table was supposed to be unoccupied, like it had been the previous days, but it was not and that was enough to tick him off; especially since the one sitting in his place was that guy, who had an argument with him the day before when they were playing basketball. That very moment, Zabdiel had sworn he would show him his place and right now seemed like the perfect occasion. Standing on the other side of the table, he slammed his tray down and crossed his arm over his chest in a boss-like manner. However, that action was only ignored by the guy in front of him, who only kept eating.

“This is my seat,” Zabdiel finally said with a low growl.

“What? What was that?”

“It’s my seat, where your stinky ass is right now.”

“Hmm? I don’t see your name written anywhere. So, shoo and don’t disturb me again.”

Zabdiel scoffed. “You think I’m gonna let go and you’re going to get away with it so easily? You’re wrong. Maybe you’re used to people tolerating you but I won’t. So, just get the fuck up and find yourself another seat.” As he finished his sentence, he slammed his hand on the table to make his point.

“Why don’t you get lost? You really don’t want to mess with me.”

“Is that supposed to scare me?”

“I’m not gonna let a gigantic moron like yourself ruin my mood.” Ignoring Zabdiel again, Chris went back to his food but before he could take another forkful of spaghetti, Zabdiel had slapped his hand away, causing his fork to drop on the table. “What the fuck?”

“You asked for it.”

Christopher inhaled and exhaled angrily; without really thinking, he grabbed his glass of juice and splashed it in the front of Zabdiel’s shirt. “You asked for it,” he mimicked.

“You, son of a…” Also on the edge, Zabdiel took his plate of spaghetti and emptied its content on Christopher’s face.

“Food fight,” somebody shouted from across the room.

Chris stood and pointed a menacing finger at Zabdiel. “You… you shouldn’t…”

He did not have the time to finish his sentence because Zabdiel had slapped his hand so hard that it had caused him to tumble backward. “You better watch it.” Not having any of it, Chris balled his hands into fists and, without warning, he punched Zabdiel in the face. “You little piece of shit!” Zabdiel grabbed Chris by the front of his shirt, pulled him away from the table and pressed him against the wall. There, he held him in place by the hand he had at his throat and looked down at him angrily; Christopher tried to push him away but, being stronger, Zabdiel stayed put.

“Stop this, this instance,” Daysi said on an authoritative tone. She looked around at the mess and frowned. “You two, in my office, right now,” she pointed to Zabdiel and Chris. “And you two as well,” she added as he turned to look at Richard and Joel, who were behind her.

**Seven minutes later…**

“Would someone care to tell me what was going on or would you all stay quiet? Richard? Joel? Somebody?”

“I was… there was a leak in the bathroom… the plumber was here…” Joel explained.

“What about you?” Daysi asked as she turned her attention to Richard. “I thought I was clear when I said you two would make sure that all meals would go smoothly,” she looked between Richard and Joel. “And was I not clear when I told you two to keep an eye on these two?”

“I’m sorry. I thought Joel would be there. I told him I had to see to the… somebody had cut the cable to the security cameras on the east side of the institute and I was seeing to that.”

“Yeah but the plumber called and he said he’d be coming today instead of tomorrow morning. I thought I’ll just see to that because it was only a leak and it would be quick to fix. And I guess I was wrong to think that nothing can go wrong at dinner time.”

Daysi shook her head. “Who started this fight?”

“Him,” Zabdiel and Chris said at the same time while pointing to the other.

“I’m only going to repeat myself once. Who started this?”

“He threw his drink at me,” Zabdiel stated.

“You were chewing on my brain,” Christopher argued.

“I only wanted my seat.”

“Ok, cut it out, both of you. You started this,” she crossed her arms and looked at Christopher. “You had fun starting a food fight, I hope you’d enjoy it as much cleaning up the mess you made. Richard, make sure he does not go to bed before the dining hall is spotless.” Daysi then directed her gaze at Joel. “Get him cleaned up.”

Joel looked at Zabdiel’s bloody nose and then at Daysi; he wanted to tell her that he did not want to be anywhere near Zabdiel but, seeing she was already in a foul mood, he stayed quiet and simply nodded. “Let’s go, I’ll take you to the infirmary.” He gulped when Zabdiel smiled and followed him closely. The hair on the back of his neck was standing straight and he knew it was not from the cold. Neither was the shiver that ran down his spine as they walked in silence down the quiet corridor. Joel cursed; he should have swapped places with Richard and gone with Christopher instead. Why had he not thought about it earlier? It was too late for that now because Richard had gone in the other direction and he did not want to pass in front of Daysi’s office again, considering how mad she was. “Clara?” Joel called to the nurse as he stepped inside the infirmary.

“Looks like it’s just me and you,” Zabdiel whispered behind him when he realized there was no one else there.

Joel again swallowed; Zabdiel was so close that he could feel his breath on the side of his neck. He took a couple of step away and opened a book that was on the table. “Take a seat. She should be here soon. It’s just a nose bleed, she’d be done with you in two minutes.”

“Yeah?” Zabdiel moved close to him for a second time. “You know, I could just have washed it myself? It’s nothing.”

Joel lifted his head to look at Zabdiel with a frown. “Why are we here then?”

“Because I would not miss any opportunity to be alone with you.”

“Wait, wait wait! How could you have known that Clara would not be here?”

“I saw her going outside when I was going to dinner,” he simply shrugged.

It was all part of Zabdiel’s plan? Joel only shook his head; he felt stupid, like really very stupid. After knowing Zabdiel for all those years, he should have known something was odd when Zabdiel had nodded and followed him to the infirmary, without any protest. Then Zabdiel shifted closer and Joel’s guards instantly went up. “Just because you want to be alone with me does not mean I want to be alone with you too. That feeling is not mutual.”

“You are saying this but your body is betraying your words. I can feel your heart beating faster from where I’m standing.” Grabbing Joel’s hand, Zabdiel brought it up and kissed his knuckles. “I still remember the things this hand would do to me.”

“That’s the past. I want nothing to do with you.”

Zabdiel let out a little laugh. “No matter what you say, I know you still want me.” To prove his point, he ran the back of his fingers down the side of Joel’s neck and he was not surprised when Joel leaned into the touch.

“Zabdiel,” Joel almost whispered but quickly pulled away when he heard the door open. “Clara?”

“Hey, what happened?” Clara asked as she pulled her coat on.

“Fight in the dining hall. Where were you? We’ve been waiting for you since forever.”

“Joel, chill honey. It’s just a nose bleed.”

“Yeah but what if it was something serious?”

“It was dinner time, a.k.a the time where nothing serious can happen, so I was on the phone with my mom. But I guess I was wrong and some people do get in trouble during dinner as well. Well, let’s see,” she said as she approached Zabdiel.

Joel leaned against the desk and watched as Clara worked. “Sorry.”

“There, all done. You could have done it yourself,” she laughed as she looked at Joel.

“Yeah, Daysi’s order. She’s really mad and I didn’t want to contradict her.”

“Daysi? Mad? That’s news.”

“Yeah, I’ve never seen her like this before.”

“Well, we’ve never had any incident during dinner before,” Clara stated.

“You’ve got a point.”

“Well, just take him back to his room.”

“Thanks Clara,” Zabdiel said with a wink as he hopped off the table and Joel could not help but roll his eyes at that. “See you.”

“No, don’t get in trouble again and I hope not to see you soon.”

“You’re breaking my heart.”

“Let’s go,” Joel said and opened the door. Once they were alone in the corridor again, he turned to Zabdiel. “Clara? She’s not your friend. For you, she’s just nurse Pablo.”

“I like when you get jealous and all possessive.”

“I’m neither jealous, nor possessive. Keep walking.”

**In the meantime…**

“This sucks,” Christopher exclaimed when they entered the dining hall.

“Yeah, look at this mess. It’s gonna take hours to clean.”

“Clean? I have no intention to clean this. I’m going to bed.”

“No, you can’t. you heard Daysi. You can’t go to bed until this place is clean.”

“Well then Mop-Head. What are you waiting for? Get to work, this place is not gonna clean itself.”

“But you have to,” Richard uttered.

“What was that? Listen, Mop-head. You better clean this shit if you don’t want me to break your pretty face.”

Sighing, Richard grabbed a trashcan but placed his hands on his hips and frowned when he noticed Christopher placing a cigarette between his lips. “Where’d you get that?”

“It’s mine.”

“I know for sure it’s not yours and you’re not allowed to have that. Where’d you get that from?”

“From one of the security guys.”

“You’re stealing now?”

“Not stealing. I borrowed. It was on the table.”

“Well, give it back.”

“Fuck off.”

“I’m serious. You’re gonna have to listen to a massively long lecture from Daysi if she finds you with this. And I’m gonna get into trouble for not taking it from you. So, give it to me.”

Christopher let out a sarcastic laugh. “You aren’t saving me from lectures. You’re just saving your ass. Then, I’m definitely not giving it to you. Actually, I’m gonna smoke the whole packet right here, in front of you. Stop me if you can.”

Without saying anything, Richard grabbed the lighter from Chris’ hand and put it in his own pocket. “Now the cigarette.”

Chris rolled his eyes. “I’m not giving you the cigarette. You’re giving me the lighter.”

“I’m not kidding.”

“When was I?”

He tried to reach for the lighter in Richard’s pocket but before he could, Richard stepped backward, causing him to slip on whatever was on the floor. He stumbled forward, only to make Richard lose his balance as well. That was how they both ended on the floor, with Christopher on top of Richard. Chris propped himself up using one arm to get up but his palm slipped on the wet floor and he only crashed onto Richard again. In the course of action, his lips accidentally pressed against Richard’s neck and even though they were already on the floor, Richard placed his hand on Chris’ waist to steady him. They stayed like that for a couple of seconds until Chris pulled back a little to look at Richard. His eyes darted to Richard’s parted lips and despite himself, he could not help but lick his own lips. What was that that lately he had been feeling whenever he was around Richard? Why could he not control his body? Why was he wanting to get closer to Richard? Closing the gap between them, he kissed Richard. Had he been planning on it? No, he only did what he thought he should do in a moment like this.

Richard closed his eyes and kissed back. At the back of his head, he knew he should push Chris off him and get back to his feet but somehow he could not; the warmth coming from Chris’ body was making him feel fuzzy inside and also, it was casting all coherent thoughts out of his mind. Then Chris slid a hand between their bodies before trailing it down his chest and to his pants, causing goosebumps to erupt all over his skin. However, instead of slipping his hand into his pants, Chris pulled back, got to his feet and shook the lighter in front of Richard’s face. Then it all made sense, why Chris did what he had just done. Feeling like a fool, Richard also got to his feet and, without looking at Christopher, he walked past him and got the trashcan.

**At the same time…**

“Now you go to bed and sleep. No more trouble,” Joel warned.

“I’d like to get in trouble… with you,” saying that, Zabdiel took advantage of the fact that he was walking behind Joel and squeezed his ass cheek.

Joel gaped at that unexpected action and turned around to tell Zabdiel off but Zabdiel was walking so close to him that Joel only crashed into his chest. “Umm…”

“Yes?” he wrapped his arms around Joel and hugged him tight.

“Zabdiel, let go of me. Someone might see.”

“Let them. I don’t care.”

The moment that left Zabdiel’s mouth, Joel pressed their lips together. “Let’s go to your room.” Zabdiel nodded and the moment his arms loosened around him, Joel stepped away. “To bed now.”

“That’s not fair.”

“You’ll be sleeping here from now on because Daysi thinks you’re too troublesome. Your stuffs has already been brought in when you were at the infirmary.”

“Finally a room for myself.”

“Don’t be too happy about it. You’re grounded and there are chores for you, starting tomorrow.”

“How about tonight? Don’t I have a chore that involve you and my bed?”

“I’m ignoring you.”

“I’m not going to bed unless you’re getting in it with me.” Zabdiel grabbed Joel by the wrist and pulled him close. “Let’s fuck.”

Joel licked his lips; he was used to Zabdiel talking like that to him and in the past, it used to turn him on. “I-I should go.”

“I want to push you on the bed and fuck you till you scream my name.”

“What you’re saying have no effect on me,” Joel said but absent-mindedly, his hand was pulling down the zipper of Zabdiel’s sleeveless hoodie. Pushing it off Zabdiel’s shoulders, he connected their lips. Taking that as a good sign, Zabdiel slipped his tongue into Joel mouth and lifted his off his feet before walking them to the bed.

**30 minutes later…**

“Come on Mop-head. Hurry up, I’m falling asleep over here.”

“Maybe if you had gotten up and helped me, we would have been done sooner,” Richard whispered to himself.

“What the hell is going on here?” Joel looked at Richard who was wiping a table while Christopher was leisurely sitting on another table while smoking. Walking to Chris, he took the pack of cigarette that was beside him and then pulled the one that was between his fingers before crushing it on the floor. “I don’t know where you got this but next time I catch you with one, beware the consequences.”

“He gave me,” Chris motioned to Richard.

“I trust Richard and I know he would never do such a thing. Consider this a warning. And you?” he walked to Richard, seized the napkin from his hand and tossed it to Christopher. “He should be cleaning, not you.”

“Who are you to decide? He’s cleaning, isn’t he?”

“Listen, just because Richard doesn’t say anything to you doesn’t mean you can boss anyone around. Here, there are rules. You break them, you make up for them. Got it?”

“You!!!” Chris got to his feet and got hold of the back of a chair.

“Nuh huh. I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Joel took the chair from Chris and set it aside. “Now, get cleaning if you want to get back to your room. Or you could keep arguing if you want to go back to Daysi’s office.”

“You’re being too hard,” Richard whispered when Chris unwillingly grabbed the napkin and moved away.

“And you’re being too soft. Look, I know you’ve had bad experiences with him but things have changed now. You don’t have to feel intimidated because of him.”

“I know… I’m not intimidated… I just knew he was not going to clean.”

“Really? How is he cleaning now?”

“Maybe you intimidate him,” Richard shrugged and they both laughed.

Chris glared at them. “Why do I have to be the one cleaning when you’re having fun?”

“That because we didn’t start a food fight. You did.”

“There, I’m done. I’m going to my room. You two can keep sucking each other’s dicks.”

“Not so fast. We have to escort you to your new room and you’re grounded. Chores waiting for you tomorrow.”

“Are you fucking serious? I just cleaned a fucking dining hall all by myself.”

“Well then, next time, don’t pick up a fight,” Joel stated and opened a door. “Your very own room. Try not to trash it.” Christopher did not say anything and only closed the door in Joel’s face. “That went well.” Joel stretched his shoulders and as he passed Zabdiel’s door, he thought back to what he had done; he had sex with Zabdiel.

“Hey” Richard shook his shoulder.

“What?”

“Where are you lost?”

“What were you saying?”

“I said thank you.”

“For what?”

“For sticking up for me.”

“Anytime. Let’s go to bed. I’m exhausted.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think about this.


End file.
